1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrically-operated curving control device which electrically drives curving of a curving portion provided to an insertion portion of an endoscope.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, endoscopes are widely used which can observe body organs in a body cavity by inserting a slender insertion portion into the body cavity, and also performing various types of treatment using treatment equipment inserted through a treatment equipment channel as necessary.
Such an endoscope generally has a curving portion which curves in the vertical/horizontal directions provided at the tip side thereof, and the curving portion can be curved in a desired direction by pulling/relaxing operations of curving wires connected to the curving portion.
The aforementioned curving wires have generally been operated manually, but as of recent, an electrically-operated curving endoscope device whereby pulling operations are performed using electrical curving driving means such as electric motors or the like is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-245246. This first conventional example is a configuration for facilitating calibration work.
Also, a second conventional example in Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-217925 discloses an electrically-operated curving endoscope device wherein motor torque is appropriately set.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrically-operated curving control device capable of monitoring the state relating to curving actions.
Also, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electrically-operated curving control device capable of speedily handling abnormality in the case of an abnormal state occurring relating to curving actions.